The Turkish Foreign Affairs Committee announced this afternoon that it supports Sweden’s candidacy for NATO. Parliament must now also approve the Nordic country’s candidacy, but it is unclear how long the process will take.
When the 26 members (27 including Erdogan) met this Tuesday, ten points were to be discussed, the last on the list being Sweden. Shortly before five o’clock in the afternoon, the acceptance of the motion was announced and the matter was referred to the National Assembly for a final decision.
In July, Erdogan lifted his objections to Sweden joining NATO after Stockholm cracked down on Kurdish groups that Ankara calls terrorists and vowed to push forward Turkey’s frozen EU accession negotiations. For a year and a half, Turkey vetoed Sweden, arguing that the Nordic country was a “haven for terrorists” and allowed the Koran to be burned on its streets.
“We see that there is a policy change in Sweden. “We see that some decisions are being made in court, although only a few,” Fuat Oktay, a lawmaker from the ruling AKP party and chairman of the parliament’s foreign affairs committee, confirmed in a television interview on Monday. “We have received some requests for additional measures,” he added.
From Stockholm, the head of Swedish diplomacy, Tobias Billström, expressed cautious satisfaction on social networks: “We are pleased that the Turkish Foreign Affairs Commission has approved Sweden’s application to join NATO.” The next step is for Parliament vote on the topic. We hope to become a member of NATO.”
However, the schedule is still unclear. If the case is given priority, a decision could be made this year or early next year. After a year and a half of delays and Turkish pressure that constantly threatened to derail the process, Swedish authorities remain cautious for now.
If there is a delay in parliament, the National Assembly has the option of waiting for US approval to sell the F-16 fighter jet to Turkey.
Erdogan suggested this month that Parliament would take action against Sweden only if the U.S. Congress approved Turkey’s requested purchase of dozens of F-16 fighter jets and spare parts and if other NATO allies, including Canada, voted against it Lift the arms embargo imposed by Ankara. “Positive developments from the US regarding the F-16 issue and Canada’s fulfillment of its promises will accelerate our parliament’s positive attitude (towards Sweden’s candidacy for membership),” Erdogan said. “It’s all connected,” the Turkish president added.
“Sweden’s NATO accession and the sale of F-16s to Turkey are being handled in a coordinated manner to a certain extent… because unfortunately neither country trusts the other,” said Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, director of the Ankara office of the German Marshals Fund -Think tank.
Turkey’s aging air force has suffered from Ankara’s exclusion from the U.S.-led joint F-35 fighter jet program in 2019. This was in retaliation for Erdogan’s decision to acquire an advanced Russian missile defense system, which NATO sees as a threat to operational security.
Joe Biden’s administration has repeatedly promised to move forward with the $20 billion F-16 sale, but members of Congress have blocked it over concerns about Turkey’s alleged human rights abuses and its past tensions with Greece. “There is neither a strong consensus in Parliament on Sweden’s membership in NATO nor in the US Congress on the sale of F-16s to Turkey,” Unluhisarcikli summarizes.
In addition, Erdogan’s anti-Israel rhetoric after the start of his war against Hamas after the October 7 attacks had raised concerns in Washington. “Although the issues are unrelated, Turkey’s statements in support of Hamas have made the F-16 process even more complicated,” explains Unluhisarcikli, adding that last weekend’s killing of Turkish soldiers by Kurdish militants also influenced membership Sweden could have in NATO.
“But if Biden and Erdogan show the necessary will, we can expect the process to be completed soon,” the expert added.